Family members of the Indians who are believed to be trapped in the troubled city of Mosul, Iraq at Golden Temple in Amritsar. (PTI Photo)

Fifteen months ago, Sudesh Kumar and Balbir Singh, who are in their early 30s, had gone to work in Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

They never thought that conditions would turn as pathetic as they are now in strife-torn Iraq where Sunni militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) have taken over large swathes of the country.

Sudesh and Balbir, like many other Indians in the country, work at construction sites. They were promised a lucrative job offer. But, the reality was in stark contrast.

They have allegedly been kept like slaves - underpaid and with no proper food. Constantly living under fear, they see no sign of returning home.

"Please do something. Save our lives. We want to come back to our families," Sudesh, a native of Phagwara (Punjab), told HT over phone.

"We are treated like bonded labourers… slaves. Our passports have been confiscated and we are not allowed to go out of the construction camps.

"Our phones are kept under surveillance and securitymen have instructions to shoot in case anyone tries to escape," said Balbir, a native of Hoshiarpur.

Sudesh and Balbir are from a group of Indians who work as masons in Najaf, about 300km from Baghdad.

He added that construction workers "are treated as property of the construction company and even sold to other companies".

"Initially we came to Iraq for a certain company but someone 'bought' us, and we don't exactly know who has our passports," Balbir said, his voice choking with tears.

'Some want to stay'

But, another worker from Punjab said, "There are some who want to stay back despite the danger. These workers are desperate for money as they are in deep debt. They think that if they escape from the fighting in Iraq, they will be killed by the moneylenders in their villages."